Fans Shouldn't Panic About Mason Taylor's Minicamp Performance

With offseason team activities (OTAs) complete and two days of mandatory minicamp in the books for the New York Jets, it's starting to become clear who is standing out the most and who still has some work to do going into the 2026 season.

While many position battles warrant a lot of attention and continue to heat up as the offseason program rolls along, tight end deserves monitoring as well. Sure, rookie Kenyon Sadiq has positioned himself as TE1 before playing a regular-season snap, but 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor is still plenty capable of carving out a role on this offense.

It has not been easy in minicamp, though, as Jets on SI's Nick Faria noted from Wednesday's practice that Taylor "had a bad drop in the end zone on what would've been a touchdown." However, there is still plenty of time for Taylor to flip the script and prove that his minicamp performance is not indicative of what the future holds.

Mason Taylor can still overcome poor offseason performance

To be fair, this entire team is learning a new scheme under offensive coordinator Frank Reich, so it should be expected that players like Taylor will be slow out of the gate due to their inexperience and the unknowns that come with a new offense. With that said, Taylor has still been a disappointment when you factor in the added pressure with the first-round pick, Sadiq, joining the fold.

Taylor was not bad in his rookie season, totaling 44 receptions for 369 yards and one TD. In fact, the 369 yards were second-most on the team behind Garrett Wilson's 395.

Granted, Wilson appeared in only seven games due to a knee injury, and Adonai Mitchell was acquired in a midseason trade with the Indianapolis Colts, but that still speaks to Taylor's potential. And we can not forget that the Jets' QB situation was not great in 2025, but he still produced.

That said, for this Jets offense to take another step in 2026, they will need him and Sadiq to step up and be threats for Geno Smith. At 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, Sadiq has the speed and athleticism to be a matchup nightmare for defenders while also possessing the frame to be an adequate blocker even when the ball is not coming his way.

He gives the Jets the playmaker they needed to draft and is the more talented TE when you look at all the intangibles and what he brings to the field after leading the Oregon Ducks with eight receiving TDs last season.

Nonetheless, Taylor has to remind the coaching staff why they took him in the second round last season and prove that he is just as deserving of playing time.

For starters, this offense recorded the fewest passing yards (140.3) last season and failed to eclipse 250 yards in each game, making Taylor's team-highs in receptions (44) and targets (65) that much more impressive.

Again, much of that was due to injuries or the midseason acquisition of Mitchell. But it is also a reminder of how vital Taylor can be despite incoming rookies Sadiq and fellow first-round pick Omar Cooper Jr.

With the increase in talent, Taylor will likely be taking on a different role than he had this time last season. However, as someone who received a team-high eight red zone targets last season, Taylor could still be relied on in third down and red zone situations. Furthermore, Reich should want to continue prioritizing the run game, an area where Taylor could be used as a run blocker.

According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor had an encouraging 63.1 run-blocking grade last season, proving that he is more than capable of holding his own in those situations. A neck injury sidelined him for the last four games of his rookie season, one that included eight drops, but there is still reason for optimism despite his world being turned upside down following the draft.

In conclusion, Taylor is entering his second NFL season and is still adjusting to a new offense, so his subpar offseason performance to this point should not entirely be held against him. At the same time, this offense needs to show it is ready to take that next step, and that includes Taylor proving he still has all the tools to remain a key part of it.

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